Atlantic halibut Archives - Saving Seafood

‘Amazing’ halibut, one of the largest fish in the Gulf of Maine, are making a comeback

September 3, 2020 — Halibut are one of the largest fish in the Gulf of Maine, second only to bluefin tuna, swordfish and large sharks. Historically they were a mainstay of the fishing industry along with cod.

According to Julia Beaty in “A History of the Atlantic Halibut Fishery in Downeast Maine,” halibut were regularly discarded as a trash fish until the late 1800s when New Englanders began icing their catch and selling fresh fish instead of salting them. Schooners began leaving from New England ports to hunt these huge fish with gangs of baited hooks. This caused a massive overfishing and subsequent decline of their numbers by the early 1900s. The numbers declined so drastically in the late 19th century that they are just now rebounding.

The National Marine Fishery Service began regulating the halibut fishery in the 1990s and there is a one fish per trip per boat limit on catch. This has been a boon to their rebound.

This past spring while fishing for haddock my husband, David, caught four huge halibut. They ranged in size from 40 to 60 pounds. In the past, he has caught one or two a year which were large enough to be legal to keep. The current minimum size is 41 inches. My husband caught two halibut near Jeffrey’s ledge in the mid-1990s which weighed 120 to 140 pounds. These were the largest ones he has caught. The record halibut was caught in 1917 and weighed 700 pounds! Normally they range in size from a foot and a half to 6 feet and weigh a few pounds to 150 pounds. I have not found anything written in literature about this, but David has noticed a strange thing about halibut, they seem to swim in pairs. He has found that if he catches one halibut in an area, he can go back to the same spot the next day and almost always catch a second one.

Read the full story at SeaCoast Online

Atlantic Halibut Subject of NOAA Research

December 9, 2019 — NOAA Fisheries is working with fishermen across Cape Cod to see if the Atlantic halibut is showing signs of recovery in the Gulf of Maine as well as the New England region.

A three-part study is currently underway to see if the halibut population is rebuilding after the size of the fish shrunk over centuries.

The Northeast Fisheries Science Center is working with local fishermen to understand the life history, stock structure, and movement patterns of the Atlantic halibut.

Read the full story at CapeCod.com

Learning More About Atlantic Halibut: Fishermen and Scientists Go “Under the Hood”

December 4, 2019 — SEAFOOD NEWS — A three-part study is underway to better understand life history, stock structure, and distribution of Atlantic halibut along the U.S. east coast. The study is being done by the Northeast Fisheries Science Center (NFSC) and The Cape Cod Fishermen’s Alliance with support from a Saltonstall-Kennedy grant developed by The Nature Conservancy.

Atlantic halibut was a reliable commercial fishery for nearly three centuries, but today is only commercially viable off the Canadian east coast. Commercial stocks in Canada appear to be increasing in recent years. The Canadian stock is fished on the southern Grand Banks and Scotian Shelf, extending to the northern edge of Georges Bank and in the Gulf of Maine. U.S. fishermen targeting other species are seeing more Atlantic halibut and wonder if stocks may be returning to U.S. waters as well.

Fishermen in Cape Cod and researchers at the NFSC want to know basic life history, stock structure, and where Atlantic halibut go during the year and during their lifetimes. The NFSC is helping with the life history component, especially reproductive biology.

That part of the study is focused on three questions: When and where do halibut spawn? Is there one overall population in the region, or are there several populations? And when do they mature?

“We would catch maybe 6 to 12 halibut a year in our scientific surveys during the last decade,” said Rich McBride, head of the NFSC’s Population Biology Branch. “That was not nearly enough for a study about the animal’s life history. We needed more samples than what we were catching.”

Two years ago the New England Fishery Management Council gave special permission for study participants to take up to six halibut per trip, exceeding the current trip limit of one.

The study needed 450 to 500 more samples from about 250 fish. Alliance members hit that target this year. They have provided about half the samples available for the study.

The Alliance, based in Chatham, Massachusetts worked with researchers to provide training to fishermen on collecting biological data. Fishermen learned how to gather samples from the heart, spleen, gonad (reproductive organ), earbones (for aging), and a fin clip. They recorded fishing location, the time, and the length and weight of the fish.

“When fishermen caught halibut in the course of a fishing trip, they would collect the samples,” explained George Maynard, research and policy coordinator for the Alliance. “Back on shore, I would collect the samples from the fishermen and bring them back to the lab for preservation and archiving. The tissue samples were all preserved and shipped to our collaborators in Canada for genetic analysis.”

Maynard prepared gonad samples and brought them to McBride at the NEFC for processing. McBride and his colleagues want to get an idea of each halibut’s maturity status.

“To get at those answers, we’re looking at developing eggs ‘under the hood,’ at the cellular level,” said McBride. “Having some sense of their current life history would be helpful as we move forward.”

“The next steps will be to combine these data with the length/weight and time of capture data from the fishermen, and aging data from the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries,” said Maynard. “That will allow us to build a clearer picture of the size and age at which halibut reach maturity, and what time of year they spawn.”

The other two parts of the three-part study include a stock structure analysis using genetic samples led by the Bedford Institute of Oceanography in Halifax, Nova Scotia. The University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth’s School for Marine Science and Technology is leading a satellite-tagging effort to understand halibut habitat use and distribution.

This story was originally published on SeafoodNews.com, a subscription site. It is reprinted with permission.

Groundfish quota changes up for debate

April 26, 2019 — NOAA Fisheries is seeking public comment on its proposed rule revising catch limits for seven of the 20 groundfish stocks for the 2019 fishing season, but the real battle over commercial groundfish quotas probably will wait until after the next operational stock assessment in the fall.

The proposed rule, called Framework 58, calls for increasing the commercial quota for Georges Bank cod by 15 percent, Georges Bank haddock by 19 percent and Georges Bank winter flounder by 6 percent for the new fishing season that is set to begin Wednesday.

It also includes a 1 percent increase for witch flounder.

That’s the good news.

The bad news is that the proposed rule, published in the Federal Register, calls for a whopping 50 percent cut to the annual catch limit for Georges Bank yellowtail flounder, a 1 percent reduction in the quota Gulf of Maine winter flounder and a 3 percent cut to the catch limit for Atlantic halibut.

“We’re still digesting the proposed rule and expect to submit our comments next week,” said Jackie O’Dell, executive director of the Gloucester-based Northeast Seafood Coalition.

The deadline for public comment on Framework 58 is May 6.

Read the full story at the Gloucester Daily Times

NOAA Fisheries Seeks Comments on Proposed Rule: Framework 58 to the Northeast Multispecies Fishery Management Plan

April 19, 2019 — The following was published by NOAA Fisheries:

We are seeking public comment on an action that would revise catch limits for seven groundfish stocks for the 2019 fishing year (May 1, 2019 – April 30, 2020), including the three stocks managed jointly with Canada. These revised catch limits are based upon the results of stock assessments conducted in 2018.

For the commercial groundfish fishery, quotas are increasing for Georges Bank cod (+15%), Georges Bank haddock (+19%), witch flounder (+1%), and Georges Bank winter flounder (+6%), but are decreasing for Georges Bank yellowtail flounder (-50%), Gulf of Maine winter flounder (-1%), and Atlantic halibut (-3%).

Framework 58 would also:

Exempt vessels fishing exclusively in the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization Regulatory Area (i.e., in international waters) from the domestic groundfish fishery minimum fish sizes to allow them to better compete in the international frozen fish market.
Extend the temporary change to the scallop Accountability Measure implementation policy for the Georges Bank yellowtail flounder to provide the scallop fishery with the flexibility to adjust to current catch conditions while still providing an incentive to avoid yellowtail flounder.

In this proposed rule, we are also announcing:

Required adjustments to the 2019 quotas for Gulf of Maine cod because the quota was exceeded in 2017;
Proposed management measures for the common pool, the US/Canada Area, and special management programs for fishing year 2019;
A proposed extension of the annual deadline to submit applications to lease groundfish days-at-sea between vessels from March 1 to April 30 (the end of the fishing year); and
Changes to the regulations to clarify that vessels must report catch by statistical area when submitting catch reports through their vessel monitoring system.

Read the proposed rule as published in the Federal Register, and submit your comments through the online portal. You may also submit comments through regular mail to: Michael Pentony, Regional Administrator, Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office, 55 Great Republic Drive, Gloucester, MA 01930

The comment period is open through May 6, 2019.

Questions?
Contact Allison Ferreira, Regional Office, at 978-281-9103

Halibut dock prices rebound, but upswing may not last

August 2, 2018 — Halibut prices fell about $2 per pound at the beginning of the season.

But there’s good news for some fishermen: ex-vessel prices are increasing slightly around the state.

“We did see the ex-vessel price for halibut perk up a bit where we’re at $6.25, $6.50, $6.75 here in Homer today,” said Doug Bowen, who tracks halibut prices around the Gulf of Alaska for Alaska Boats and Permits, a vessel-and-fishing permit broker in Homer.

Those prices have a significant influence on the halibut quota Bowen sells for fishermen.

Five dollars per pound at the start of the season is the lowest price Pacific halibut fetched on the docks in several years.

Prices at the beginning of the season usually start high, McDowell Group fish economist Garrett Everidge said, and trend downward through the spring.

The recent spike in dock prices reflect typical market fluctuations, Everidge said.

“Maybe the market is working through some uncertainty that was present at the beginning of the season,” he said. “Around this time of the year, a lot of salmon fishermen who’ve done halibut are busy. It’s typically the slowest time of year and that could be why prices have appreciated a little bit.”

Read the full story at KTOO

Alaskan fishermen aren’t the only ones noticing the rise of Atlantic halibut

May 22, 2018 — As prices and demand for Pacific halibut have fallen in Alaska, commercial fishermen say a new Canadian competitor is to blame. Since 2012, Canadian imports of fresh Atlantic halibut have grown roughly 60 percent.

Historically, Atlantic halibut has not competed with its close relative on the West Coast since New England and Canadian fishermen overfished stocks in the late 1880s. But as the catch continues to grow north of the border, fishermen in New England are working towards restarting a fishery in U.S. waters.

That could have a serious impact on Alaska’s halibut industry.

Atlantic halibut seems to have been on the tip of the commercial fishing industry’s tongue in Alaska as imports from Canada continue to carve out a significant slice of the New England fresh halibut market.

Prices on the docks in Alaska have fallen about $2 per pound, and there’s a surplus of halibut in the freezer from last year that isn’t selling.

Read the full story at Alaska Public Media

Fisheries council sets up 2017 priorities

December 20th, 2016 — The New England Fishery Management Council has set its management priorities for 2017, including potential revisions to the management of Atlantic halibut and an examination of the implications of groundfish catches in non-groundfish fisheries.

The list of priorities, which largely charts the council’s expected — perhaps more accurately, hopeful — course in the upcoming year, was approved by the full council after about three hours of discussion at its November meeting.

The prioritization of issues, according to NEFMC Executive Director Tom Nies, is a valuable tool for providing the council with the structure to address pressing issues while also retaining the flexibility to delve into other issues as they present themselves to the council.

“The process is very helpful in focusing the efforts of the council on major tasks and still give it the flexibility through the rest of the year to change course as we have to,” Nies said.

The list of priorities would see the council:

Consider of possible regulatory changes to the northern Gulf of Maine scallop management area;

Improve the Gulf of Maine cod and haddock recreational management process;

Initiate actions to resume landings of the rebuilt barndoor skate stock;

Coordinate long-term wind power issues with other regulatory agencies, and;

Conduct a comprehensive review of council operations.

Read the full story at The Gloucester Times

New England Fishery Managment Council Approves 2017 Management Priorities

December 16, 2016 — The following was released by the New England Fishery Managment Council:

The New England Fishery Management Council recently approved its 2017 management priorities, which will guide the Council’s committees and working groups in the year ahead. The Council annually takes this step for two reasons: to focus its time on mutually agreed-upon issues of importance; and to give the public a snapshot of what to expect in the foreseeable future.

“Our priority-setting exercise helps us determine how to best allocate available resources,” said Council Executive Director Tom Nies. “We always have more proposals on the table than we’re able to handle each year, so by collectively deciding upfront which actions rank the highest, we’re able to work much more efficiently on the Council’s most pressing issues without getting sidetracked.”

Setting annual catch limits and other fishery specifications – a requirement under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act – remains the Council’s highest cross-cutting priority.

But for 2017, the Council also supported many high-priority items that fishermen and other stakeholders said were especially important. Here are a few of the highlights that were approved during the Council’s mid-November meeting in Newport, Rhode Island:

Sea scallops: Consider regulatory changes to the Northern Gulf of Maine Management Area;
Groundfish: Revise Atlantic halibut management measures;
Groundfish: Review groundfish catches in “other” non-groundfish fisheries and assess implications;
Recreational fishing: Improve Gulf of Maine cod and haddock recreational management process;
Barndoor skates: Initiate action to allow landings of this rebuilt species;
Habitat: Coordinate wind power issues with other agencies over the long term, not just 2017; and
Council: Conduct a programmatic review of Council operations.
Atlantic herring – Continue work on Amendment 8 to address localized depletion and user conflicts in the fishery and develop a new acceptable biological catch control rule using a Management Strategy Evaluation (MSE) process;
Habitat – Complete the Omnibus Deep-Sea Coral Amendment and a separate framework adjustment to address surf clam fishery access to pending Habitat Management Areas;
Whiting – Move forward with Amendment 22 to consider limited access for the Small-Mesh Multispecies Complex and consider changes to possession limits;
Skates – Prepare an amendment to consider limited access for both the skate bait and skate wing fisheries with provisions that may consider catch share alternatives; and
Ecosystem-Based Fishery Management – Continue work on the development of operating models and a draft example Georges Bank Fishery Ecosystem Plan and develop a MSE process to engage fishermen and other stakeholders while conducting testing and validation.

A table identifying all of the Council’s 2017 management priorities is available at: http://s3.amazonaws.com/nefmc.org/161201_Approved_Priorities.pdf

See the full release at the NEFMC

Overfished halibut under scrutiny as catch increases

December 13th, 2016 — Federal fishing regulators say they are looking to change the way they manage Atlantic halibut in the wake of a surge in catch of the fish.

The government lists Atlantic halibut as “overfished” and conservationists want to protect it. But many fishermen say the catch is up because the stock has been rebuilt over recent years.

East Coast fishermen caught more than 215,000 pounds of Atlantic halibut in 2015 in the most productive year of fishing for the flatfish since 1972. Catch of the fish in nearshore Maine waters is helping drive the increase, regulators say.

The regulatory New England Fishery Management Council decided last month to review management of halibut, which is popular with diners and chefs for its thick, meaty steaks. Exactly what form regulation changes could take isn’t yet known.

“We’ve identified that this is an issue, and this will be a priority for 2017,” said Janice Plante, a spokeswoman for the council.

The council has also asked that Maine’s state fishing managers adjust the way they oversee halibut. Part of the issue is that if fishermen exceed their quota for the fish, it can trigger restrictions on fishing that impact fishermen who operate in federal waters. About 40 percent of the halibut catch for the 2015 fishing year was taken in state waters, mostly in Maine.

Ben Martens, executive director of the Maine Coast Fishermen’s Association, said Maine should consider limiting the amount of halibut fishing in state waters. Otherwise, federal fishermen will be negatively affected by the surge in state catch, he said.

Read the full story at The Gloucester Times